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Sunday, May 11, 2014

Cops Buying Mother's Day Cards and the Best Things You'll Read All Week

by Ben Howard and Sebastian FaustReads of the Week1) On Faithfulness (A Brain Dump) by Rachel Held Evans "And so I stood, vulnerable once again, in that most infuriating and miraculous contradiction of the Christian life: that the Church wounds and the Church heals. I’m still not sure what to do with that." 2) Jesus On the Under-Arc by Shannan Martin "I'm not good at making sense of the world I'm in. I've tried. And in this harder, ordinary state of living, hope is found when we cobble together a few broken pieces and shape them into something whole and new. We re-frame our expectations for the zillionth time and wonder all over again why we ever thought black and white were real. Almost all we ever see is gray."3) In Prison With Ann Voskamp by Richard Beck "Steve and I start talking about what eucharisteo looks like in a maximum security prison. About where an inmate might find "one thousand gifts" in his day to day life. And we talk about how that practice of thankfulness, gratitude and grace has been spiritually transformative for Steve. And while Steve and I were talking about how Ann Voskamp is changing his life I began to grow uneasy in my heart. For I had misjudged Ann Voskamp."4) Confessions of a Religious Asshole by Micah Murray "They say the Bible is like a mirror, and when I catch a glimpse of myself in its scattered fragments I realize I’m just the same as the people I’m so quick to denouce. I speak out against shame, but I shame those who disagree with me. I speak out against borders and walls, but I’m quick to turn “us” against “them” when “them” make me angry. I speak of love, but only when it’s easy."5) If We Are The Body, I Might Be The Thumb by Sarah Joslyn "I like grown-ups. I like the ones with gritty pasts and messy, grace-laden presents and dream-filled, wild futures. I like the ones who are broken and disheveled, like me. Who aren’t afraid of real talk and swear words."Honorable MentionHoly Relics: A Plan of Salvation Bead Bracelet by Martyn JonesFor Your Own Good by Gretchen WhiteIn Which a Homeschooler Tries to Write Contemporary YA by Hannah EttingerTweets of the Week"Happy B-day Kierkegaard. You lived a bitter life and died alone. Now anyone who quotes you loses all their friends too." - @_lxnx"George RR Martin's hat versus Pharrel's." - @TheAlanNoble"How am I supposed to explain Michael Sam to my kids? I don't want them confused by his two first names lifestyle." - @EmmaWilson511On Pop Theology Week in ReviewNo Honest Song Besides These Blues by Hannah Paasch"1961. New York City. The scene opens on an ill-lit, smoky bar, crowded with mesmerized listeners huddled around cafe tables and bottles of beer."The Problem of Evil: Devils, Aliens, and Doctor Who by Laura Brekke"Cultures across human history have struggled with the problem of evil."Song of the Week"Sleep" by Little India

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